


Spirit Sword

by PokéReid (CrzyFun)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Gen, Let's Play, because i don't do cameras, but story mode
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-13 05:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21489277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrzyFun/pseuds/Pok%C3%A9Reid
Summary: Reid Alma grew up in the Region of Pacal. After defeating their own league and trying their hand at Alola, they've set their sights on Galar.
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Original Pokemon Trainer(s), Hop (Pokemon) & Original Pokemon Trainer(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	1. First Steps

**Author's Note:**

> Me: I wanna do a let's play, but I hate cameras!  
Brain: Why not just write it out?  
Me: Walkthroughs are boring.  
Brain: What if it was a story?  
Me: ... Dude!
> 
> So yeah, this is basically my playthrough of Sword, but with main character backstory and actual interactions between them and the NPC's.

_ “Now turn your gaze to the Galar region’s greatest Pokémon Trainer, your undefeated champion… It’s time for Champion Leon’s exhibition match!” _

“These Galarian’s really like to make a spectacle of everything,” Reid hummed, watching the fireworks go off around the stadium. She chuckled as the champion pulled a dorky pose. “Oh yeah, this is going to be fun.”

_ “Charizard, dynamax!” _

Frowning, she slumped back into the couch cushions as Leon’s charizard grew. “Okay, I know I’m new here, but isn’t that gigantamax?”

**Ding, dong.** “Hello, hello!”

“It’s open!” she called. She looked away from her phone to see the neighbor kid, Hop, come in with his wooloo.

“Oh! That your flash new phone, Reid?” he asked. “Were you watching Lee’s exhibition match on it? But you can’t cheer him on with your hands full! You know the only way to properly cheer on Lee would be with his famous Charizard Pose!”

_ Yeah, no, _ she snorted as Hop turned to talk to her mom about Leon’s visit.

“Come with me, Reid! He should be here any minute! And Lee always brings presents when he visits, so I wouldn’t forget that bag if I were you!” Hop called befor darting towards the door. “Now I’ve got to run! See you at mine later!”

“Didn’t you just tell me to come with you?” she yelled after him before pocketing her phone and standing up. After waking up her munchlax Chople to say goodbye, she went into her room and grabbed her bag and hat. She threw them on after making sure her fishing rod, Galar Adventure Guide, and emergency potion were tucked inside the bag then gave her mom a kiss goodbye and ran outside.

“Bye Basil, be good for Mom until I get back,” she called as she passed her Budew in the vegetable garden.

“Budewdew!”

_ So he did wait for me then, _ Reid thought as she reached the bottom of the steps to her house to see Hop and his wooloo waiting on the road.

“Hahaha! Have a look at you, Reid! That old bag looks like it could pull you over!”

She shrugged and tugged at the straps. “It’s the bag my mom used when she was still a Pokémon Trainer back in Pacal.”

Hop smiled and nodded. “At least we know that it should hold anything Lee might bring, even if it’s as big as a snorlax!”

**Thwack! Thwack!**

The two turned to see one of her neighbor’s wooloo rolling into a gate.

“A wooloo… but what’s it doing there?” Hop asked.

**Thwack! Thwack!**

“Hey! You silly wooloo!” Hop laughed, his arms coming up behind his head in a carefree stance. “I see what you’re up to! Don’t go using Tackle on the fencing! Now, you listen! No going past that fence! No! Everyone knows there are scary Pokémon living in the Slumbering Weald!”

“Meeeh?”

**Thwack!**

“Now that that’s taken care of…”

_ Taken care of? It’s still doing it! _

“How about it, Reid? Let’s race! Bet I can make it to my house first, what with you lugging about that big old bag!”

“Wait, but -” Before Reid could finish, he ran down the road. She sighed and walked up to the wooloo. “Stay away from the fence.”

“Meeeh?” he answered again, but he turned towards her and stopped hitting the fence, so she took it as a win.

“Good boy,” she said, giving it a pat before running after Hop.

As she passed the wooloo farm, she called out to the man minding them to let him know about the one she’d seen at the gate.

“Ta! It’s probably Fearghas, he’s always sneaking off,” he huffed, heading the way she’d come.

She continued on and soon came to the large house Hop’s family lived in. She smiled and waved when she saw his grandmother looking out from an upstairs window before heading to the door.

“There you are!” Hop said, grabbing her as soon as the door opened and leading her into the kitchen. “Mum! Is he here!?”

“There you are at last, Hop!” she said, turning away from the food she was preparing. “Oh, and you’ve brought along Reid. Hello, dear.”

“Hey, Mrs. Duncan.”

“Yeah, yeah, but where’s Lee? Have you got him crammed in a cupboard?” Hop asked, looking around.

Rolling her eyes at her son, Mrs. Duncan said, “He’s still not here yet! For the hundredth time… Honestly, Hop, you must learn some patience! He’s probably only just arrived at the station in Wedgehurst.”

“Then that’s where I’m going! You know Lee is hopeless with directions. I’ll make sure he doesn’t get lost on the way!”

“Oh, will you?” Chuckling, she shook her head. “Yes, that probably is for the best…”

Determined, Hop turned to Reid. “You’ve got to come with, Reid. You’ve still never met my big bro, right? You can’t miss out on your chance to meet the undefeated Champion!” He turned and ran out the door. “I’ll wait for you out on the route!”

“He never slows down,” she sighed.

“Go on with Hop to pick up Leon, won’t you, Reid? I know you’re the reliable sort,” Mrs. Duncan said. “I’ll have everything ready for a barbecue in the garden by the time you’re all back.”

Reid nodded and followed after the boy.

“Let’s get a move on! Only remember, Reid…” Hop panted once she caught up with him, still running, “wild Pokémon could come out of nowhere if you walk through patches of tall grass. I’ve got my wooloo with me, so I’m ready for battles against wild Pokémon, of course. But not you, Reid! So we’ll steer clear of the tall grass as we go. No wandering off if you’ve got no Pokémon of your own, mate!”

Reid nudged him. “It’s not my first time around the block, remember. I’ll look into getting a Pokémon soon. Just want to start fresh with someone new.”

“Sure, sure. Now hurry!”

The two rushed down the road until they reached the cobbled path that led into the town proper. They slowed as they reached a large crowd in front of the train station.

“Guess your brother’s here,” she said as they approached the group.

Hop nodded as he tried to look over the crowd. “I can’t see him though. Lee!” he tried to call out, but his voice was drowned out as the crowd started to cheer.

Reid went onto her toes and was just able to see Leon doing his pose while his charizard stood at his side, acting as a bodyguard.

Hop smiled proudly as everyone began praising his brother.

Once the crowd had quieted a little, Hop started waving around his hand. “Lee!”

The crowd parted to show Leon walking towards them, his charizard a few steps behind. “So, my number-one fan in all the world has come out of his way to pick me up! Look at you, Hop! I reckon you’ve grown… exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you!”

“Bingo! That’s the sort of sharp eye that’s kept you undefeated so long, eh Lee?” Hop chirped, flailing excitedly and Reid snorted.

Leon glanced over at the sound and smirked. “And these bright eyes over here… I’ve got it! You must be Reid, am I right?”

“That you are,” Reid said, holding out her hand.

He took it. “I’ve heard loads about you from my little brother. Alola’s first-ever champion, and before that, the champion of the Pacal region.”

“I get around,” she said with a shrug.

“Do you still hold your titles?”

“I’m the Pacal Champion, but a good friend of mine took over in Alola after my mom and I decided to move on. Their league is still too new to have their champion abroad and Gladion knows his stuff.”

“Hop told me most of your Pokémon are in the National Bank right now?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a couple with me, but they’re not battlers. You Galarians have pretty strict laws on non-native species. Most of my heavy hitters aren’t allowed in.”

“Pity. I’m the Galar region’s greatest-ever Pokémon Champion, and a massive charizard fan, too.” He set his hands on his hips. “People call me the Unbeatable Leon! It would be fun to test my strength on a fellow champion?”

She matched his smirk with one of her own. “Give me time to put together a team and I might just take you up on that.”

He stepped back and ruffled Hop’s hair. “I think you might have to get in line.”

The younger brother smiled and ducked away. “Come on, Lee! And you, Reid! Bet I can beat the both of you back home!”

Reid raised an eyebrow as he took off back down the road. “He’s always going to win if he keeps running off like that.”

“That Hop… always wanting to be the best, isn’t he?” Leon said, looking at her. “With a proper rival of his own, I bet he’d push himself to become something truly special…”

Reid’s lips twitched up. “He wouldn’t be my first rival. But I warn you, I don’t go easy on anyone.”

Leon just smiled and turned to the still waiting crowd. She rolled her eyes as he did his pose again, and nearly burst out laughing when she spotted his charizard giving him an unimpressed expression.

“Well, everyone! I bid you farewell for today! But don’t you fret… I’ll always be around to make sure everyone in Galar can have a champion time!”

With that, he flipped his cape and ran off.

Reid shared a look with his charizard before following after him.

Those brothers were two peas in a pod.

Once they were all gathered in the Duncan’s garden, Hop immediately set upon his brother.

“Come on, Lee! You promised us a present! So out with it! You brought Reid and me a Pokémon. You did, didn’t you? I know you must have!”

Leon chuckled and set his hands on his hips. “Right then! The greatest gift from the greatest champion…” He winked at Reid and pulled a trio of Poké Balls out of his pocket. “It’s showtime, everyone! Take a good look, you two!”

He threw the balls and three Pokémon burst out: a green and brown simian with a stick in its head fur, a white and red lagomorph that reminded Reid of victini, and a blue reptile with a tall yellow fin on its head. The three immediately ran about the garden. The simian climbed up into a tree and started banging it’s stick on a sitrus berry, while the reptile dived into the pond and started cheerfully spitting small bursts of water. Unfortunately one of the bursts hit the lagomorph, who had been running circles on the battle court and it began hopping around in a startled fit. One of its hops went into the tree, knocking the simian’s berry into the pond and startling the reptile in return.

_ Poor things, _ Reid thought as the lagomorph rubbed its head and the reptile hopped out of the pond and began crying.

Before she could do anything, the simian dropped down to cheer the reptile up. The lagomorph hopped over a moment later and the two made up.

“All right! Line up, everyone!” Leon called out and the three quickly focused in and ran forwards to stand in a line on the battle court. Leon turned back to Reid and Hop, saying, “Which will you choose?”

The two looked on in excitement for a moment before Hop turned to Reid. “Go on, you pick first. I’ve already got my wooloo after all.”

Reid bit her lip and glanced over the three before approaching the reptile.

“That’s the Water-type sobble. It adapts to anything, as surely as water flows. Going with him?”

Reid smiled and held out her hands. “Yeah.”

The sobble gave a happy chirp and hopped up to clap their hands together.

“So it’ll be sobble for you? Nice one!” Hop said, turning to the other two Pokémon. “Then I’ll go with… scorbunny! You’re mine!” He knelt down in front of the lagomorph and smiled. “I’m aiming to be the next champion, so be ready! You and I’ll be doing some serious training!”

It gave a chitter and pumped its fist.

“I bet you will be, Hop. That’s why I brought along these Pokémon for you and Reid. So the two of you can battle and train and grow stronger together… to try to reach me!” Leon explained before walking over to the simian, charizard joining him. “And you’ll come with me! Charizard will show you the ropes. He’s strict, but real strong and real kind, too!”

“All right, enough of all this Trainer nonsense for one night!” Hop’s mom called and the group turned to see her walking up alongside Reid’s. “Dinner’s ready, children. Bring along your Pokémon, and let’s all eat!”

** _The next day…_ **

“You spent the whole night with that new partner of yours, right, Hop?” Leon asked as the three relaxed in the Duncan’s garden. “You two getting on all right? Understanding one another? Maybe even built up a bit of love?”

“Course I have, Lee!” Hop answered. “Reid’s made fast friends with her Sobble, too.”

“Río,” she corrected, running her thumb across the Poké ball holding her new friend.

“Then listen up, new Trainers!” Leon declared and she raised an eyebrow. “Believe in yourself and your Pokémon! If you trust in one another and carry on battling side by side long enough, then someday… you might even become worthy rivals for me, the Unbeatable Champion!”

He met her eyes and she smirked. _ Oh, you’re on, cape boy. _

“What’re you looking at her for, Lee?! I’m the one who’ll be coming to challenge you!” Hop announced. “If you think Reid might be able to challenge you, then I guess she’s my first rival! But I’m not planning to lose to her and miss out on my chance to beat the Unbeatable Champion!” Hop turned to her and smiled. “Just having a Pokémon with you doesn’t make you a real Trainer, you know. Proper Trainers raise their Pokémon up to be first-rate in battle too!”

_ Kid, I’m going to crush you. _

“Oh, and you think you’re worthy of calling yourself such a proper Trainer already, Hop?” Leon asked playfully. “Guess I’ll be the judge of that! Let’s see how you handle yourself in a battle against your friend, if she’s up for it.” He turned to her with teasing eyes. “What do you say? Willing and ready to take Hop on in the first-ever Pokémon battle of your life?”

She rolled her eyes and nodded.


	2. Fated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hop started to nod, but just then something moved in the fog and they turned to see a Pokémon standing before them.

On the south edge of Postwick was hilltop farmland. Wooloo rolled about in fields as butterfree and bird Pokémon field the skies. At the southeastern tip sat a small manor, outside of which a pair of trainers prepared to battle.

“Believe in your Pokémon! And care for them, too, with all your heart. Do those two things, and I’m certain you’ll learn to choose the moves that suit your Pokémon. And more importantly… to have a champion time battling with them!” Leon led Hop and Reid over to the battle court and took the refs position. “Looks like everyone’s on board, Pokémon and Trainers alike? Then let’s do this!”

“I’ve watched every match that Lee’s ever had!” Hop announced, taking on a fierce stance. “I’ve read every book and magazine he left behind at home, too! I know exactly what to do in order to win!”

“I’m sure you do,” Reid said, pulling out a Poké Ball. “Río, love, let’s do this.”

“A Pokémon battle it is, then!” her opponent said as she tossed the ball. He took out his own and threw it. “I’ve got two partners with me! Let’s go, wooloo!”

Reid slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone, hitting the battle app.

_ “Wooloo. Male. Level three. Type: Updating,” _ Luce, the Rotom inside, read off for her.

_ At such low levels, there’s not much strategy to go with, so…  _ “Alright Río, Pound.”

“Wooloo, Tackle!” Hop called out.

Both Pokemon ran forwards, but Río was faster, bashing the wooloo with his tail before the white Pokémon barreled into him.

Reid checked the damage and frowned at how little damage the wooloo had taken.  _ Darn, that thing’s bulky. I wish I had something to lower defense. At least it’s attacks are even weaker. _

With no other options, Reid had Río continue to Pound as Hop matched the hits with wooloo’s Tackles. Two more Pounds brought the wooloo to red and another finished the match with Río still in the green.

_ “Experience gained. Level increase: Sobble - level six. New move obtained,” _ Luce announced and Reid glanced over to see that Río had learned Water Gun.  _ That could come in handy. _

“It’s not over yet! I’ve added another trusty ally to my team!”

“I… I was there,” Reid whispered to herself as Hop sent out his scorbunny.

_ “Scorbunny. Male. Level five. Type: Updating.” _

_ Thankfully, Leon already clued us in on each other's types. _ “Río, Water Gun!”

The blast of water hit the scorbunny just as Hop called for it to use Tackle.

“Did you already know about type advantages!?” Hop asked as scorbunny managed to hit Río before it could dodge.

_ Nope, in all my time as a Trainer, I never picked up on such a concept, _ Reid thought with a snort as she checked the damage. Yellow, good, though it could be better. And Sobble was in the yellow now too.

“Río, pound!”

He shot forwards before the two could react, slamming his tail into the scorbunny and knocking it out.

_ “Experience gained. Level increase: Sobble - level seven.” _

“And that’s the battle!” Leon called it as Hop recalled his scorbunny.

“You beat my two Pokémon with your one!? You and that sobble are too much!” Hop moaned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few Pokédollar notes. He passed them over with a smile. “If I’m going to be a real Trainer, then I pay my fares like a real Trainer.”

Reid smiled and took the money before recalling Río. “You did good.”

Hop sighed, drooping over. “Well, that was a shock! Guess I know now why Lee thought he should give you a Pokémon too…”

“You and your Pokémon all fought hard,” Leon said, patting him on the back. “Made me almost want to let out charizard and join in on all the fun!” Leon stepped up to Reid as Hop ran inside to get his Pokémon taken care of and pulled a device out of his pocket. “Good effort out there, Río! Why don’t I get you all sorted?”

Reid glared at the device as it healed her Pokémon. “One of these days I’m going to get one of those stupid things.”

“It certainly makes things a lot easier,” Leon chuckled.

“And yet far less exciting,” she muttered and took her Pokémon back.

He chuckled and stepped back. “I’ve got a favor to ask you. Be a real rival to Hop, would you? Push him, and make the both of you stronger!”

She didn’t get a chance to answer as Hop appeared. “I already want to get stronger and stronger! You’ve seen me battle now, Lee, so come on, you’ve gotta let me take on the Pokémon Gyms!”

“You? Join the Gym Challenge?” Leon asked, turning to his brother. “You think you’re ready for the single greatest competition in the Galar region? Not putting the cart before the rapidash there, little brother?” At Hop’s glare, he raised an eyebrow and continued, “If that’s really what you want to do, you two have a whole lot you need to learn. Especially your friend Reid. Barely in the region and already getting dragged into the fight.”

She smiled and shrugged. “You get used to it.”

Laughing, he shook his head. “Before you think about getting Gym Badges, best to think about getting a Pokédex. A Trainer’s Pokédex helps them learn lots of things about…”

Reid started to tune Leon out, glancing over his shoulder as she spotted a pair of butterfree chasing each other. Yeah, she’d definitely need to upgrade her Pokédex app. She hadn’t gotten an upgrade since moving so it only included Pokémon native to Pacal and Alola.

“Right, right, we get it… Pokédexes, then!” Hop cut in and she refocused. “We’re on it! Looks like it’s off to the Pokémon Research Lab for you and me, Reid!”

“That’s the kind of enthusiasm a Trainer needs!” Leon said, walking away. “I’ll let the professor know to expect you.”

“I’m going to be the next champion, so completing a simple Pokédex will be nothing! Just another page in the tale of my legend!” Hop said, pumped. “You’d probably better go tell your mum that we’re heading out, though.”

Reid nodded. “See you on Route One.”

“Su-”

**Crash!**

The two turned towards the road. “Reid! Did you hear that just now?” Hop said as he started to run.

Reid followed and they soon found themselves back at the gate near her house, which was smashed open.

“The gate’s open! And the wooloo that was there…” Hop said, checking the gate. “It was tackling the fence pretty hard earlier. You don’t think it actually broke through there, do you?”

“The shepherd I talked to said he runs off a lot,” Reid said, looking around for any sign of the Pokémon.

“But it’s off limits! Nobody’s supposed to go in there!” Hop explained, looking worried. “I remember the professor's granddaughter went in once, and she came back in a real state. And that was nothing compared to the earful she got from the professor afterward!” He turned towards the weald. “We have to go help it, Reid! What do you say?”

“I don’t know… Maybe we should get your brother. Our Pokémon are still untrained.”

“Right, no one wants to get in trouble, least of all me.”

_ Why do I not believe you? _

“But deep down you want to save that Pokémon, too, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but -”

“Hope you’re ready for anything because we’re going in, Reid!”

“Hop, wait!” Reid shouted after him, but he was already running up the path. She growled and followed after him.

The further they got into the trees, the more the fog rolled in making it hard to see. Thankfully Hop slowed down as the world became nothing more than trees, grass, and fog.

“That wooloo… Where do you think it got to?” he asked, glancing around. “The fog is really coming on thick now. If we don’t find that Pokémon soon, this might be trouble.”

“Maybe we should head back for help.”

“Be serious, would you? We’ve got to go look for that Pokémon!”

Suddenly a shadow jumped out at them from the tall grass and Hop jumped back with a yelp before relaxing when he saw it was just a brown rodent Pokémon. Reid grabbed his arm and they both ran for it instead of getting into a fight. They dodged another Pokémon, this one a blue bird, before an odd cry sounded through the weald.

“Did you hear that? Was that a Pokémon crying out, you think?”

“Either that or a banshee,” Reid joked. When Hop went pale she said, “Kidding.”

Another of the rodent Pokémon ran by and Hop grabbed her arm.

“You sure you don’t want to head back.”

That seemed to reignite his fire and he stepped back from her, looking determined. “Come on, Reid! That wooloo might be in real trouble!” Then he was booking it down the path.

“Woah, hold on! Wait for me!” Reid shouted, running after him. The fog was getting thicker though, and she lost sight of him. “Hop? Hop! Hop where are you?”

The fog grew so thick, it became hard to see the trees around her.

“Hop! Stop, we need to head back! Hop! Ho-umph!” Reid groaned as she slammed into the boy and they both fell to the ground.

“This is mad,” Hop huffed as they helped each other back to their feet. “I can’t see my own hand in front of my face! I think I get now why this place is off-limits.”

“You think?” she muttered, brushing herself off. “Come on, we can’t help anyone if we get lost in this fog.”

Hop started to nod, but just then something moved in the fog and they turned to see a Pokémon standing before them.

It reminded Reid of Shunwar or a houndoom, but more colorful. It was scarred and missing part of its ear while the long pink fur hanging from its head was braided and seemed to defy gravity, floating back as if caught in the wind.

“What in the -” Hop yelped jumping back as the Pokémon got into a battle stance, staring them down.

“Lrrroooaaarrrd!”

Reid called out Río as she brought up the battle app.

_ “Unknown. Unknown. Level unknown. Type: Unknown.” _

“Well, that’s helpful,” Reid muttered sarcastically.

_ “Zzzory,” _ Luce said, unrepentant.

Reid tried to take a step back, thinking about simply recalling Río and running, but found she couldn’t move.

“Great, okay, uh, Growl!” Reid said, hoping to weaken whatever it was before it could attack.

Her sobble obeyed, but the soundwaves from the attack seemed to pass right through the mystery Pokémon.

In fact, the Pokémon didn’t even seem to realize her’s was there, focused completely on her face with a stare that, when their eyes met, sent a shiver down her spine.

“Wha- The move had no effect on it!?” Hop exclaimed, snapping her out of the trance.

“I… Maybe it’s Ghost-type. Normal moves wouldn’t work on it. Río, Water Gun.”

Unfortunately, that had the same effect, the water passing right through it.

_ Is it an illusion? Like what the zorua and zormaii back home do for fun? _

The Pokémon howled and the fog started to thicken up even more. So Reid could barely see her Pokémon and opponent.

“Reid! I can’t see anything! You okay!?”

Reid turned, but Hop was nowhere to be seen. “I’m okay.” She turned back to the battle and her eyes met the mystery Pokémon’s once more.  _ I think. _ “Río, use Pound,” she called.

Her sobble jumped at the Pokémon, but it’s tail passed right through it like everything else.

“Río!” she yelled as it disappeared into the fog.

The Pokémon howled again, and all she could see was fog.

“I can’t see anything!” Hop yelled before letting out a scream.

“Hop!” she shouted turning towards where she’d last seen him.

Something brushed past her.

It felt soft and…

Soft…

And… and w…

Warm a…

And War…

W…

…

…

…

…

Reid opened her eyes with a groan. “What happened?”

She grabbed the Poké Ball in front of her and reassured herself that Río was safely inside. She climbed to her feet and looked over her shoulder to see Hop doing the same. She glanced back towards where she’d seen the mysterious Pokémon -- thought she’d seen it? -- with a frown. Had that really just happened? Or was it just a dream?

“Hop! Reid!”

The two turned to see Leon running up.

“Wha- Lee? How’d you manage to find your way here?” Hop asked. “You’re pants with directions. You always get lost.”

“Oh, that’s nice to hear from the little brother who had me worried sick!” Leon scolded. “I’d been waiting ages for you two, and you never showed! Of course I came looking for the both of you!”

“A wooloo got loose into the weald,” Reid explained.

“Wait, where’s the wooloo!?” Hop said. “We were trying to rescue that wooloo!”

Leon smiled and stepped to the side to reveal charizard standing with the missing Pokémon.

“Meh!”

“The little chap’s just fine,” Leon reassured. “You know this place is out of bounds… But it took courage to come in here all the same. And I can understand well enough why you did it. You did good, Hop!”

“And at least the wooloo’s all right, yeah, Reid?”

“Yeah,” she agreed distractedly, her eyes darting back over to the spot the mysterious Pokémon had stood.

“I thought we’d had it when that weird fog started rolling in and that mad Pokémon attacked, but at least it wasn’t all for nothing!”

“Attacked by some mad Pokémon?” Leon asked, looking worried. “What are you talking about, Hop?”

“It seemed loads stronger than any Pokémon I’ve ever seen. And it just had this sort of presence… Our moves didn’t even touch it. I mean, really, they seemed to pass right through it!”

“Your moves passed right through it?” Leon looked contemplative as he looked around. “So, the fearsome Pokémon they say live in the Slumbering Weald… Are they actually illusions or something?” Leon shook it off and set one hand on Hop’s shoulder and the other on Reid’s.

She blinked and focused back on the brothers.

“Get strong enough and maybe the two of you could be the ones to reveal the truth someday. For now, let’s simply get out of this place. You’ll be all right now that I’m here with you!”

Reid tuned out Hop’s excited ramblings as they made their way out of the weald.

The last time she’d felt a presence like that, it was when she was returning Nebby to the newly capable Lillie.

Could that have been… a legendary Pokémon?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pokémon Explanations
> 
>   * Shunwar: A legendary Pokémon from Pacal based on the Shunka Warakin. A Fairy and Ghost-type, it's said to steal away Pokémon from careless Trainers.
>   * Pacal zorua: A Fairy-type based on the trickster coyote legends. They are nocturnal and use illusions to play tricks on any who dare to cross their hunting grounds. 
>   * Zormaii: The Pacalin evolution of zorua. A Fairy and Ground-type based on the trickster coyote legends. They use a combination of clay dolls and illusions to trick wondering Trainers.


End file.
